Carton



Patented Mar. 2, 1943 Thompson, Chicago, 111., assignors to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, Ill-., a corporation of Delaware Application January 22, 1940,- Serial No. 214,966

2 Claims. (01. 229-31 The present inventionrelates to folding cartons and more particularly to that type of folding carton which is adapted to be readily set up from a flattened or knock-down condition.

Objects of the invention are to provide a generally improved and simplified carton of this type and to provide an improved form of means for locking the carton in its set-up condition, whereby likelihoodof accidental disengagement of the locking parts will be substantially avoided.

Other and more detailed objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folding carton made in accordance with the present invention, such carton being shown in its set-up condition;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 2--2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the end construction of the carton;

Fig. 3 is a view of the carton showing same as it appears in a collapsed condition ready for shipment from the carton plant to the user; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank of the carton. The carton of the present invention is of the so-called automatic set-up type of folding car ton in which diagonally folded corner elements are employed and in which a locking strip or other form of locking means is'provided on the inside face of the bottom wall for cooperation with an end wall locking flap, the edge portion of which is adapted to come into engagement with the locking means on the bottom wall.

The carton of the present invention finds par ticularly advantageous use in connection with cartons upon which it is desired to apply a wax coating treatment, the locking parts being so designed as to'be effective even where the wax or other coating is applied in a relatively heavy or thick manner tending to partially fill the angle between the bottom wall and the edges of the locking means located thereon.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the carton of the present invention is designated as a whole at 5, and is preferably formed from a suitable blank of folding carton board, as illu's trated in Fig. 4, such blank being suitably'cut and scored to provide a bottom 6, side walls 1 I and end walls 8, 8. In the present instance, the ends of each of the side and end walls are con= nected by integral corner portions 9, El These corner portions are defined from the side walls by score lines II], I!) and from the end walls by score lines II, II. A central score line l2, I2 is be folded so that approximately one-half of the corner portion will lie against the other half; Thus, when the side and end walls are raised to vertical position, the corner portions will tend to lie flat against the interior faces of one of the walls. In the presentinstan'ce, the corner portions are arranged to lie against the inner faces of the end walls. V

In order to provide for an increased emciency in the carton locking parts (to befpresently de scribed), the score lines l0, II) are formed so as to converge outwardly of the side walls, thus causing the score lines to assume an angular relationship with the score lines l3, l3, of somewhat less than ninety degrees. The score lines H, II are preferably formed in alignment with the score lines l3, l3. It is to be'noted that the corner construction thus describedwill tend to cause the end walls of the carton to be inclined slightly inwardly when the carton has been set up with the corner portions folded inwardly and lying against the inner faces of the end walls.

-Strip's l5, l5 are preferably provided secured to the bottom wall of the carton adjacent the score lines l4, l4 defining'the end walls 8, 8 from the bottom Wall 6. The edge portions of these strips serve to. provideiocking 'ablifillellts for engagement by locking flaps l6, I6 preferably formed as extensions on the end walls 8.8 and being defined therefrom by score lines l1, l7;

The flap extensions [6, iii are provided with deformable edge portions adapted to facilitate locking of the flaps against thelocking strips l5, [5. In the present instance, the edges'ofthe flap extensions l6, l6 are suitably notched 'to form tab portions or elements [8; l8 constituting deformable portions on the edges of the flap extensions. The effective length of the exten- ;sion flaps l6, including'the tabs 18, is such asto cause the ends of the tabs'to be somewhat deflected or deformed when the extension flaps l6, 16 come to their final position in juxtaposi tion with the infolded'corner portions 9', 9. Inorder to provide for effective locking of the flaps 16, the central portion of each flap'i's preferably. formed so as to be devoid of tab elements, such as tabs l8, Hi. This is'effected by forming notched or cutout portions l9, l9. It is with the iociangstnp l-5 when thlocking eleof the strips [5}; Thus the flap extension l6 will normally come to rest in locking position when the edge portions thereof have reached travel.

For practical purposes the slight degree movement of the end wall flap from the time it overrides the edge of the locking'strip l until 7 the point at which it comes to rest with the edges of tabs l8, l8 behind such strip, it may be considered as substantially a straight line movement due to the smallness of the arc involved. Thus, when the ends of tabs l8, l8 are somewhat deflected or deformed when they reach their final position in juxtaposition with their attached end walls, the ends of such tabs will be directed both inwardly and downwardly to engage the edges of the strips l5.

Side walls 1, 1 are, in the present instance, provided with fiap extensions 2|, 2i separated therefrom by score lines 22 permitting the fiap extensions'2l to be folded down to overlie the top of the carton and form a partial closure therefor.

In using the carton herein described, the side walls with their attached flaps 2 land the corner connections 9, are preferably folded in superimposed relation over the bottom 6, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In this condition the carton may readily be set up by grasping the ends and forcing the end walls upwardly to cause a concurrent upward swinging of the side walls until both side and end walls reach a vertical position 10.. substantially the lower point in their are of inclined score lines l0, ID will have the tendency to produce. Thus, in practice the exterior surface of the end walls will not have any pronounced inward inclination.

While both ends of the carton have been described as being identically formed, it is, of course, obvious that the invention may be applieds'olely to one end of a carton and the other end may be formed in any other desirable and convenient manner.

It i to be understood that reference to end and side walls herein is made for purposes of convenience of description and it is desired that the invention be considered as not limited to side after which the end wall fiaps ['6 are folded.

inwardly and downwardly until they snap in behind the edges of the strips l5, [5. Due to the provision of the notched out opening IS; theoperator setting up the carton will find it necessary in general to apply pressure at relatively spaced points on the end wall fiap, thus causing at least the more centrally positioned of the tab elements I 8, [8 to be engaged behind the strip.

In this manner. the carton will be secured in its set-up condition with no likelihood of accidental collapse. Due to the inclination of they score lines l0, l0 defining the corner connections 9 from the side walls I, the axis about which the flap l5 moves is disposed inwardly of the carton along a line which is approximately in alignment with the locking edge of the strip [5. By

condition, are not engaged one upon the otherv in an extremely close manner. On'the contrary,

the natural tendency of the paperboardto resist bending produces a thickness or bulk in the overlapping parts which tends to compensate for theamount of inward deflection which the and end walls ofany particular dimension. Accordingly, the parts referred to as end walls could be greater in dimension than the parts referred to as the side walls.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, certain changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of th invention, and

it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects a illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

.We claim:

1. A folding carton formed from a paperboard 5 blank comprising a bottom panel, side and end Walls hinged respectively to the sides and ends of said bottom panel, diagonally foldable corner,

portions connecting the end of each side wall with the adjacent ends of each end wall, score lines defining said corner portions from said side and end walls, those-of said score-lines defining the ends of said end walls being aligned with the sides of said bottom panel and those of said score lines defining each of said corner portions being disposed at an angle to each other somewhat greater than whereby said end walls will tend to assume a somewhat inwardly inclined position when said side and end walls are in upright position with aid corner portions folded to lie against said end walls, a locking strip secured to said bottom wall in relatively close spaced relation to the inner face of each of said end walls, and an extension carried by each of said end walls having deformable tab elements on its outer edge portions and having an overall length somewhat greater than the height of its associated end wall, whereby said tab elements will become deformed by engagement with the top surfaces of said locking-strips when said extensions are swung in-- Wardly and downwardly, and whereby the edges of the deformed tab elements will lockingly engage the edge of said locking strips to prevent displacement of said extensions after the deformed tab elements clear the edges of said looking strips in the movement of said extensions into juxtaposition with their associated side walls.

2. A folding carton formed from a paperboard blank comprising a bottom panel, side and end walls hinged respectively to the sides and ends of said bottom panel, diagonally foldable corner portions connecting the ends of each sidewall with the adjacent ends of each end wall, score lines defining said corner portions from said side and end walls, those of said score lines defining the ends of saidlend walls being aligned with the sides of said bottom panel and those of said score lines defining each of said corner portions being disposed at an angle to each other somewhat greater than 90 whereby said end walls will tend to assume a somewhat inwardly inclined position when said side and end walls are in upright position with said corner portions folded to lie against said end walls, a locking strip secured to said bottom wall in relatively close spaced relation to the inner face of each of said end walls, and an extension carried by each of said end walls having deformable tab elements on its outer edge portion adjacent the ends thereof on either side of centrally located cutaway sections, and having an overall length somewhat greater than the height of its associated end wall, whereby said tab elements will become deformed by engagement with the top surfaces of said locking strips when said extensions are swung inwardly and downwardly, and whereby the edges of the deformed tab elements will lockingly engage the edges of said locking strips to prevent displacement of said extensions after the deformed tab element clear the edges of said looking strips in the movement of said extensions into juxtaposition with their associated side walls.

ROBERT E. DEEM. GEORGE V. THOMSON. 

